Bottle cap



I INVEN TOR. Via/9104 31229 B Y ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1953 w. A. RICE BOTTLECAP Filed June 17, 1950 Patented Nov. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE BOTTLE CAP Walter A. Rice, Amsterdam, N. Y.

Application June 17, 1950, Serial No. 168,731

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to closures for sealed packages, and, moreparticularly, relates to improved closures of the type provided withopening devices.

Heretofore it has been proposed to provide closures for receptacles suchas bottles, jars and the like which comprised a cap having a skirtformed with fingers spaced by cut-away portions in the skirt, and a ringfitted over the skirt to urge the fingers into engagement with thesealing finish of the receptacle, the ring being manually removable tofacilitate removal of the cap without the aid of tools. The difficultywith such closures was that, in order to effectively retain the ring onthe cap, the cap and/or the ring required the provision of locking meanswhich complicated the construction and manufacture of the closure andincreased the cost thereof to an extent whereby such closures could notbe successfully sold in competition with less complicated closuresrequiring removal from receptacles by means of tools.

Accordingly,an object of the present invention is to provide an improvedclosure vfor sealed packages which can be removed by hand without theuse of tools and can be reapplied by hand to the receptacle to preservethe contents thereof until dispensed.

Another object is to provide such a closure which is simple andeconomical in construction, and is readily manufactured, assembled, andapplied.

Another object is to provide such closures which require a minimum ofmaterial and can be rapidly roduced in'large quantities by simpleautomatic machinery.

A further object is toprovide improved sealed packages utilizing suchclosures which are capable of storing aerated liquids such as carbonatedbeverages, beer and the like.

A stillfurther object is to provide such a package having a closurereadily removable by hand at will which effectively resists accidentalor unintentional removal.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects areaccomplished by providing a closure for sealed packages which comprisesa cap having a crimped skirt formed with corrugations shaped to engagethe finish on a receptacle and formed with slits providing sharp edgesat the exterior of the skirt, and a fiangeless ring in the form of acylindrical band adapted to be positioned over the skirt to surround thesame and fitting snugly to constrict the skirt and cause the edges tobite into the band.

In a preferred embodiment about to be described, the cap is constructedof sheet metal in the form of a crown cap, and the corrugations consistof alternately arranged inwardly extending projections and outwardlyextending substantially vertical flutes which are slitted vertically atthe outermost portions thereof to pro- Vide the sharp edges. In thisembodiment, the band is constructed of a softer material than the cap toenable the sharp edges to bite into the band and be embedded to securelylock the band on the cap against accidental removal of the closure whenapplied to the receptacle.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view,

illustrating a portion of a receptacle, and a cap and band in accordancewith the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view, partly in section,illustrating the closure, comprising the cap and band, applied to thereceptacle to seal the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line3--3 on Figure 2, illustrating the manner in which the sharp edges ofthe skirt of the cap are embedded or bite into the band.

Referring to the drawing in detail and more particularly to Figure 1thereof, the essential elements of a sealed package in accordance withthe invention are shown, which elements include a receptacle 10, a capH, and a band l2, the cap and band serving as the closure for thereceptacle.

Only the outlet or mouth portion of the receptacle I0 is illustratedherein, the receptacle, by way of example, being a glass bottle providedwith a crown finish M surrounding the mouth. However, it will beunderstood that the invention can also be practiced in connection withother forms of receptacles such as bottles or jars formed of any othermaterial.

The cap I I, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, is preferably constructed ofsheet metal, and generally is in the form of a crown cap comprising acover portion l5, sealing means such as a disc H5 at the underside ofthe cover portion, and a crimped depending skirt H.

The skirt is formed with corrugations which consist of alternatelyarranged inwardly extending zones 19, formed with inwardly extendingprojections 20 at the inner wall of the skirt for gripping the crownfinish M in the usual manner 3 (Figure 2), and relatively narrow,vertical, outwardly extending, concavo-convex, ribs or flutes 2|(Figures 2 and 3).

The flutes 2| are slitted vertically at the outermost portions thereofto form extremely narrow slits 22 which barely are perceptible to thenaked eye and do not separate portions of the skirt sufficiently tomaterially weaken the structure thereof. These slits are formed in amanner to expose raw edges 24 of metal at the exterior of the skirtwhich are relatively sharp due to their ragged or jagged contour adaptedto be seen under a microscope. As shown in Figure 2, the edges 24 flaredownwardly and outwardly slightly from the top to the bottom of theskirt for the purpose about to be described.

The band 12, as shown, may be a smooth, relatively thin, flangelesscylindrical ring of a width about equal to the length of the skirt. Thisband is constructed of a material which is softer than the material ofwhich the cap II is formed, for example, such material as paper orsynthetic plastic, and has an inner periphery about equal to theeffective outer periphery of the upper portion of the skirt, that is,the contour to which the flutes 2| extend, whereby when the band isforced downwardly over the skirt the edges 24 bite into the innerperipheral wall of the band and are sufliciently embedded therein tolock the band on the cap (Figures 2 and 3). When the band is sopositioned to surround the skirt, the projections 29 are urged inwardlyto grip the finish I4 in locking engagement to provide a seal at themouth of the receptacle which can safely confine beer or carbonatedbeverages and the like. If desired, the band may have indicia or legendprinted, molded or embossed thereon instructing the consumer how toremove the closure.

In order to remove the closure, the lower edge of the band is engagedmanually at one side of the cap and is pushed upwardly to release thecap therefrom. The band is then removed, and the lower edge of the capis engaged manually and is pushed upwardly to cause the projections 20to release the finish l4 whereby the cap is removed to open thereceptacle.

Should it be desired to use only a portion of the contents of thereceptacle, the remaining contents may be preserved by reapplying thecap on the receptacle and then reseating the band on the cap. Theseoperations are readily accomplished by hand.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the presentinvention provides an improved closure for sealed packages, the parts ofwhich are simple and economical in construction and are readilyassembled and applied to the receptacle and are easily removed by handto open the package.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A metallic cap for a receptacle closure comprising a crimpeddepending skirt formed with corrugations consisting of alternatelypositioned inwardly extending projections for engaging a crown finish ona receptacle and outwardly extending vertical flutes, said flutes havinga V- shaped section extending from the lower edge of said skirt toadjacent the upper end of said skirt 4 and each of said flutes having avertical slit formed therethrough along substantially its entire lengthat the apex thereof to provide a pair of contiguous, externally exposedsharp edges on each of said flutes.

2. A metallic cap for a receptacle closure comprising a cover portion,sealing means, and a crimped depending skirt formed with corrugationsconsisting of alternately positioned inwardly extending projections forengaging a crown finish on a receptacle and outwardly extendingrelatively narrow vertical flutes, said flutes having a V-shaped sectionextending from the lower edge of said skirt to adjacent the upper end ofsaid skirt and said flutes having a vertical slit formed therethroughalong substantially their entire length at the apex thereof to provide apair of contiguous, externally exposed sharp edges on said flutes.

3. A receptacle closure comprising a metallic cap including a crimpeddepending skirt formed with corrugations consisting of alternatelypositioned inwardly extending projections for engaging a crown finish ona receptacle and outwardly extending vertical flutes, said flutes havinga V- shaped section extending from the lower edge of said skirt toadjacent the upper end of said skirt and each of said flutes having avertical slit formed therethrough substantially along its entire lengthat the apex thereof to provide a pair of contiguous, externally exposedsharp edges on each of said flutes; and a continuous cylindrical band ofa softer material than said cap adapted to be positioned to surroundsaid skirt to constrict said flutes and have said edges bite therein,the width of said band being substantially equal to the length of saidskirt.

4. A sealed package comprising a receptacle having a mouth provided witha crown finish; a metallic cap having a corrugated depending skirtconsisting of alternately positioned inwardly extending projections forengaging said finish and outwardly extending flutes, said flutes havinga V-shaped section extendin from the lower edge of said skirt toadjacent the upper end of said skirt and each of said flutes having avertical slit formed therethrough substantially along its entire lengthat the apex thereof to provide a pair of contiguous, externally exposedsharp edges on each of said flutes; and a continuous cylindrical bandformed of a softer material than that of which said cap is formed andbeing removably positioned to surround said skirt to constrict saidflutes and cause said edges to bite therein to secure said band on saidcap and said cap on said receptacle, the width of said band beingsubstantially equal to the length of said skirt.

WALTER A. RICE.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 468,226 Painter Feb. 2, 1892 1,135,094 Bartlett Apr. 13, 19151,433,552 Kalkbrenner Oct. 31, 1922 1,758,696 Graham May 13, 19301,985,258 Mauser Dec. 25, 1934 2,398,554 Nyden Apr. 16, 1946 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 446,612 Great Britain May 4, 1936

